President Barack Obama called Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Tuesday to discuss progress on the continuing resolution aimed at averting a government shutdown Friday.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney called it &ldquo;a good phone call&rdquo; and said it lasted about 12 minutes. He declined to give details on whether there was any agreement on passing a two-week versus a monthlong resolution; the White House is pushing for the latter.

&ldquo;This process should be one in which ... there is enough time allowed for all sides to come together to reach an agreement on a long-term continuing resolution so that we can fund the government for the remainder of the year,&rdquo; Carney said during a briefing.

The White House spokesman warned that it would not &ldquo;be helpful&rdquo; to the economy if Republicans were intent on &ldquo;negotiating again and again on continuing resolutions to fund the government for two weeks or another short-term period.&rdquo;

But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters Tuesday afternoon that the Senate will pass the two-week continuing resolution currently making its way through the House. And at a press event earlier Tuesday, Boehner complained that Obama came to the table too late to negotiate a longer continuing resolution.

&ldquo;If there had been a conversation about this 10 days ago or two days ago, we might have had something to talk about,&rdquo; the Ohio Republican told reporters. &ldquo;But the fact is we were forced to move on our own. I think we&rsquo;re taking a responsible path forward to keep the government open and meet our commitments to cut spending.&rdquo;

Carney demurred when asked if the timing of Obama&rsquo;s call related to Boehner&rsquo;s criticisms.

&ldquo;I can tell you that he called Speaker Boehner because he felt it was a good time to call him to discuss progress on discussions around the continuing resolution,&rdquo; he said.

A Boehner spokesman also stayed mum on any specifics that were discussed during the call.

&ldquo;The Speaker always appreciates the opportunity to talk with the president about working together on cutting spending and creating jobs. The House has acted responsibly in passing a bill to cut spending and keep the government open for the remainder of the year, and we encourage Senate Democrats to do the same,&rdquo; the aide said.